Cypriot refugees consider selling occupied properties to fund education

Cypriot refugees are threatening to sell their properties located in the Turkish-occupied north to finance their children's and grandchildren’s education. During a session of the House Refugees Committee, Chairman Nikos Kettiros reported that a 75-year-old woman, in distress, announced plans to sell her orchard in Famagusta to pay for her granddaughter's tuition fees. Kettiros stated the woman intends to approach the unrecognized ‘compensation commission’ in the occupied territories due to a lack of financial support.

The committee heavily criticized the current loan criteria imposed by the Central Agency for Equal Distribution of Burdens, specifically the requirement for applicants to provide four creditworthy guarantors. Kettiros cited a case where a refugee with two million euros in bank deposits was still asked to provide four guarantors. These stringent conditions leave many families in limbo, forcing them to consider selling their ancestral lands to private buyers or the occupation authorities. Kettiros has demanded the government clarify its policy on assisting these families.

Parliament members are currently investigating how many loan applications have been rejected under these terms. The committee is pressuring the state to review the bureaucratic obstacles that discourage refugees from seeking legal financial aid, fearing that without reform, more citizens will resort to selling assets in the occupied areas.